Endolymphatic Hydrops and Inner Ear Function Tests Results in Patients with Unilateral and Bilateral Meniere's Disease
ZHANG Ziyu
XUAN Han
PENG Dandan
ZHANG Wenjing
MENG Juan
ZHANG Fan
LU Xing
LI Sujuan
QIN Zhaobing
Abstract：Objective To report distribution of endolymphatic hydrops(EH)in patients with unilateral Meniere's disease(UMD)or bilateral Meniere's disease(BMD),and potential relationship between EH scores and cochlear-vestibular function in symptomatic ears.Methods Fifty-two cases of UMD and eighteen cases of BMD were included,all hospitalized after failing outpatient treatment with oral medication and lifestyle adjustment.Pure tone audiometry,acoustic impedance,caloric test,and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(VEMPs)were performed on admission,and three-dimensional fast fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequence magnetic resonance imaging(3D-FLAIR MRI)24 hours after intratympanic gadolinium injection was performed within one week of completing cochlear-vestibular function tests.Results All patients had EH in the cochlea or the vestibule at least on the effected side.In UMD,EH on the contralateral side was observed in 8 cases(19.2%).The rate of EH in the symptomatic ear was significantly higher than in the asymptomatic ear in UMD(P<0.001).In 80.8%of the effected ear in UMD,the EH score was 3 or more,whereas it was below 3 in all contralateral ears,showing no significant correlation between the EH score and the ear being affected(r=-0.011,P=0.937).In BMD,the EH score was 3 or more in 77.8%of the leading ear and 38.9%in the secondary ear,showing a positive correlation between the EH score and the first affected ear(r=0.482,P=0.043).The EH scores of the inner ear,cochlea and vestibular were highly correlated with clinical MD staging(P<0.01),as well as PTA at all frequencies(P<0.05),but not with cVEMP,oVEMP and C-test results(P>0.05).Conclusion The distribution and degree of EH in the affected ear in MD are significantly higher than that in the asymptomatic ear.EH is also present in the contralateral ear in UMD although with no correlation with the affected ear,whereas in BMD the EH score is positively correlated with the first affected ear.The severity of EH is correlated to the severity of hearing loss.Because EH can be present bilaterally,the asymptomatic ear needs to be carefully followed up.
Keywords：endolymphatic hydropsunilateral Meniere's diseasebilateral Meniere's diseasemagnetic resonance imaginginner ear function
Publication Date：2025-06-15
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 372-378 )